Why it's good to Stick With What You Got

It's reasonable to say that many of us, particularly over on this side of the planet, aren't really short of a ‘thing' or two. In fact, many a garage, loft, cupboard, living room floor and bedroom corner are overflowing with impulse buys and ‘bargains', or just old stuff we no longer use. Truth is, buying all this stuff just costs us loads and we don't even really need half of it - on average only 1% of our purchases are still in use 6 months on.

And all this ‘spend spend spend' puts huge strains on the environment, using up ever-diminishing precious metal, mineral, forest and oil resources, as well as fossil fuels in production and transport. Not to mention indigenous communities who get uprooted and displaced if they happen to be in the way.

And then there's the mountain of waste to deal with once we've chucked the stuff out. As if all that's not enough, everything we buy comes with its own back-story - sometimes a horror-story of exploitation, shocking working conditions and low pay. When we buy cheap stuff someone somewhere often pays the price.

Ok sure, so we all need some stuff, but we don't need that much of it. And although buying greener stuff is better - sustainably produced products, recycled, ethical goods like Fairtrade, or even second-hand stuff - it's still all consumption and really we just need to consume less.

Let's face it, if something's missing in our lives - stuff isn't really going to fill it. Happiness, as we all know, comes from within, and that comes from pursuing our passions, connecting with other people, having meaningful relationships and finding meaning in our lives. The happiness we get from buying stuff lasts about 5 minutes.

Plus, on top of all these good reasons, sticking with what you've got saves you bundles of cash. Garden table looking a little weathered? A quick clean-up and a lick of paint will make it as good as new. Bike seen better days? Clean off the cobwebs, pump up the tyres and spruce it up with some new lights. Jazzing up what you've got will cost you a fraction of buying things new, and could even unleash that inner creative spirit that's been itching to get out. If you've got stuff that's been lying around needing fixing, check out these invaluable sites for fixing and mending things, and this one for all your household needs.

Sticking With What You Got is a beautiful thing. Tell the world how you're doing it here.

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